Saturday, August 08, 2015 9:22:16 AM
From the Pastor's Heart - August 2015
Think about the multitude of decisions you will have to make during your lifetime. As a whole, they determine the course of your life. That’s why it’s so important to seek the Lord’s guidance in your choices. After all, He’s the only source of true wisdom. Whether the issue you’re facing is major or minor, God knows best. By seeking His wisdom, you can live the best possible life without suffering the fallout of foolish choices.
However, if we ignore His counsel, we’ll undoubtedly make some decisions we’ll later regret. What too many people forget is that choices have consequences. Our culture tells us to live for today without considering the outcome of our decisions. That’s why people buy homes they can’t afford or accumulate credit card debt they can’t pay. But from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, God has clearly taught that consequences lead to foolish, self-willed decisions.
First Corinthians 3:18-20 distinguishes between two different kinds of wisdom — God’s and the world’s. The residents of Corinth valued wisdom, but the Lord describes their wisdom — the wisdom of the world — as foolishness. He sees right through their human reasoning and knows how useless it really is.
"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless." ~ 1 Corinthians 3:18-20
• Worldly wisdom relies on man’s perspective:
However, even the most brilliant people have limited knowledge. In fact, their intelligence is often the barrier between them and the Lord. James uses three adjectives to describe the world’s wisdom: “earthly, natural, (and) demonic” (James 3:15). First of all, worldly wisdom is earthly, which means it’s limited to human senses and reasoning. Second, James says it’s natural. In the Bible, this term is often used to refer to the sensual part of man ruled by his sin nature. And third, the root of all worldly wisdom is demonic. Satan is constantly trying to deceive mankind into believing they don’t need the Lord.
• True wisdom is seeing life from God’s viewpoint and responding according to His instructions:
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His instructions have good insight. His praise endures forever." ~ Psalm 111:10
Since the only sure place to find His perspective and guidance is in His Word, we must make Scripture a daily priority in our lives. To ignore it is to automatically choose a foolish lifestyle. We should never base our decisions on what everyone else is doing or what they think. Instead, we need to find out what God says about the issue.
• The Lord’s wisdom is vast enough to handle every human concern:
He knows each of us perfectly and has a complete understanding of our every need:
"Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me. This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it." ~ Psalm 139:1-6
Since His knowledge is infinite, nothing surprises Him. Although our world is constantly changing, God has never had to revise His Word because He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow:
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." ~ Hebrews 13:8
No matter how insurmountable our problems may seem, He has unlimited power to handle them. With such a wealth of wisdom available to us, why in the world would we ever choose to rely on our own reasoning, feelings, or desires?
• God wants to share His wisdom with His children:
"For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up resourcefulness for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity" ~ Proverbs 2:6-7
He knows we need His help to live wisely. If we listen and obey Him, He will faithfully lead us one step at a time. However, when we plow ahead without consulting Him, we’ll take wrong turns and could get into trouble. I remember when my family first moved to Atlanta and we were looking for a house. After a long search, we found one that was fairly acceptable. Instead of waiting until I heard from the Lord, I went ahead and signed the contract. A rainstorm rolled into town the following night, and a foot of water accumulated in the basement of that house. Even though I had made an unwise decision, God graciously rescued me; the flooding invalidated the contract. Later that week, He guided us to just the right house.
When the Lord’s directions don’t make sense to us, we’ll never go wrong by believing and obeying Him. Just remember that the totality of human understanding and knowledge is like a tiny grain of sand compared to a beach full of God’s wisdom. We need not be anxious or fearful about what could happen. We can sleep soundly each night knowing that the Lord holds the future in His hands and is sovereign over all the events of life.
Prayerfully yours,
Charles F. Stanley
P.S. Thank you so much for your interest and involvement in this ministry. If you’re facing a challenging decision or a trying situation, I’d like to encourage you to seek God’s guidance. He’s not trying to hide His will from you but is beckoning you to keep in step with Him. As you search His Word with a yielded spirit, He’ll faithfully guide you to His best for your life.
http://www.intouch.org/get-involved/from-the-pastors-heart
Think about the multitude of decisions you will have to make during your lifetime. As a whole, they determine the course of your life. That’s why it’s so important to seek the Lord’s guidance in your choices. After all, He’s the only source of true wisdom. Whether the issue you’re facing is major or minor, God knows best. By seeking His wisdom, you can live the best possible life without suffering the fallout of foolish choices.
However, if we ignore His counsel, we’ll undoubtedly make some decisions we’ll later regret. What too many people forget is that choices have consequences. Our culture tells us to live for today without considering the outcome of our decisions. That’s why people buy homes they can’t afford or accumulate credit card debt they can’t pay. But from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, God has clearly taught that consequences lead to foolish, self-willed decisions.
First Corinthians 3:18-20 distinguishes between two different kinds of wisdom — God’s and the world’s. The residents of Corinth valued wisdom, but the Lord describes their wisdom — the wisdom of the world — as foolishness. He sees right through their human reasoning and knows how useless it really is.
"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless." ~ 1 Corinthians 3:18-20
• Worldly wisdom relies on man’s perspective:
However, even the most brilliant people have limited knowledge. In fact, their intelligence is often the barrier between them and the Lord. James uses three adjectives to describe the world’s wisdom: “earthly, natural, (and) demonic” (James 3:15). First of all, worldly wisdom is earthly, which means it’s limited to human senses and reasoning. Second, James says it’s natural. In the Bible, this term is often used to refer to the sensual part of man ruled by his sin nature. And third, the root of all worldly wisdom is demonic. Satan is constantly trying to deceive mankind into believing they don’t need the Lord.
• True wisdom is seeing life from God’s viewpoint and responding according to His instructions:
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His instructions have good insight. His praise endures forever." ~ Psalm 111:10
Since the only sure place to find His perspective and guidance is in His Word, we must make Scripture a daily priority in our lives. To ignore it is to automatically choose a foolish lifestyle. We should never base our decisions on what everyone else is doing or what they think. Instead, we need to find out what God says about the issue.
• The Lord’s wisdom is vast enough to handle every human concern:
He knows each of us perfectly and has a complete understanding of our every need:
"Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me. This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it." ~ Psalm 139:1-6
Since His knowledge is infinite, nothing surprises Him. Although our world is constantly changing, God has never had to revise His Word because He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow:
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." ~ Hebrews 13:8
No matter how insurmountable our problems may seem, He has unlimited power to handle them. With such a wealth of wisdom available to us, why in the world would we ever choose to rely on our own reasoning, feelings, or desires?
• God wants to share His wisdom with His children:
"For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up resourcefulness for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity" ~ Proverbs 2:6-7
He knows we need His help to live wisely. If we listen and obey Him, He will faithfully lead us one step at a time. However, when we plow ahead without consulting Him, we’ll take wrong turns and could get into trouble. I remember when my family first moved to Atlanta and we were looking for a house. After a long search, we found one that was fairly acceptable. Instead of waiting until I heard from the Lord, I went ahead and signed the contract. A rainstorm rolled into town the following night, and a foot of water accumulated in the basement of that house. Even though I had made an unwise decision, God graciously rescued me; the flooding invalidated the contract. Later that week, He guided us to just the right house.
When the Lord’s directions don’t make sense to us, we’ll never go wrong by believing and obeying Him. Just remember that the totality of human understanding and knowledge is like a tiny grain of sand compared to a beach full of God’s wisdom. We need not be anxious or fearful about what could happen. We can sleep soundly each night knowing that the Lord holds the future in His hands and is sovereign over all the events of life.
Prayerfully yours,
Charles F. Stanley
P.S. Thank you so much for your interest and involvement in this ministry. If you’re facing a challenging decision or a trying situation, I’d like to encourage you to seek God’s guidance. He’s not trying to hide His will from you but is beckoning you to keep in step with Him. As you search His Word with a yielded spirit, He’ll faithfully guide you to His best for your life.
http://www.intouch.org/get-involved/from-the-pastors-heart
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